Beginners Ebay

[Robotstar5]

Hi folks, decided to try ebay to raise some funds.
Any "Do's & Dont's" I should be aware of? or advice in general really.
So far I've registered with ebay & paypal and linked the two.

 

[danelectro]

Don't sell to anyone with 0 feedback, and don't sell to anyone outside the uk, been doing ebay since 2001, and got to say I find it a pain in the A**e now!!!!

 

[pedrobedro]

Do alter your preferences to only allow UK bidders, it's not just enough to write it in the listing. Communicate with buyers when they ask anything like when stuff is sent out

 

[Wozzaaah]

Describe your items very, very carefully. If buyers can pick any little holes in the description just to try and get some money back then they will.
If in doubt as to the useability of the item, simply describe it as faulty, no comeback whatsoever then. 'Untested' is a common term used on there, I'd say 9 times out of 10 that means 'doesn't work'. The term 'untested' is a real cop-out imo.
Do your homework when deciding how much you're expecting an item to sell for, search for similar items and tick 'completed listings' to see how much (if at all) an item usually fetches.
Oh, and I'd advise you to send all items recorded delivery if poss.

I personally have never had any serious problems, buying or selling, most issues can be resolved simply enough if you're diplomatic.

Echo Pedro's advice too, buyers love communication, the more the merrier, it puts them at ease knowing they're dealing with friendly, courteous sellers.

 

[RedOrZed]

Be ready for buyers, or potential buyers, not to read or comprehend your advert. I had several enquires about the mileage on a motorcycle I sold recently, in spite of a full on, clearly readable shot of the speedo.

there are some really odd people out there and some of them have access to a 'puter. Try not to take it personally

 

[shenion]

Yes, the more info the better. Lots of pictures, detaild description with model and serial numbers, how old.

Beleive me, the more you show what is wrong with something, the more interest you will have. Buyers will feel they know what they are getting.

If you can host the pictures elsewhere, you can save some fees. Ebay gives you a few picts, but they are reduced in size. by the time you pay the supersize, and other fees, it gets expensive. I host the pictures on my web server and only have to pay the insertion fee.

Ever notice most ads have several pictures then a small one at the end that is the same as one of the others? That is sellers that host their own to get a big pictures free and then put a small one up as the free ebay one so it can also be used as the thumbnail in the listings.

Have sold a few dozen things on ebay. Mostly welding and equipment, lathe tooling and parts accessories. As long as you stay out of the "joe sixpack' catagories, it is easy as you have buyers that know what they want and what to expect.

 

[rtbcomp]

Make your listings legible. Nice basic font, size 12 or 14, spaces between paragraphs, black on white (I've seen yellow on brown which is illegible). No Text-Speak.

Photograph the actual item.

Offer cash on collection, this means you're not scared of the buyer knowing where you live.

 

[Pete.]

Starting with 99p wil usually get the bidding going a lot better than putting in your reserve as a minimum bid.
Hosting pics off-site is a good tip above, I use Picasa3 to generate a web page from the pics I want to show, takes just a few minutes and looks very professional. Put the link in bold and large font or you'll get requests for pics.
Make sure that whatever method you use for posting valuable stuff has online-tracking, or buyers can claim it was never delivered, and get their money back from you via Paypal and there's nothing you can easily do about it.

 

[rtcosic]

Check out how some of us list things.

My eBay ID is Alucard7002, maybe some other listers can tell you theirs.

Check out my buyers feedback - they value lots of quick communications, quick despatch and good packaging.

Offsite hosting for free pics is a good idea - I use Picassa - Photobucket is problematic. I've even hosted videos when selling motorbike and lawnmower to show (and hear) how it starts and runs.

Don't worry if you don't get bids early in the auction - lots of buyers (me!) use 'snipers' like this. A better guide to interest is number of watchers. Check if Auctiva still offer free banners showing all your items.


I mainly use eBay just to sell off unwanted junk and so nearly always use the free 99p start.

Don't forget the eBay and Paypal fees can soon mount up!

Weigh items, allow plenty extra for packaging and check postage costs carefully. I save and reuse boxes, packing and Jiffy bags - if you have to buy them costs soon mount up. I prefer to use DHL (via Parcel2go) as it's one price for up to 25kg, they collect and you can pay directly via Paypal.

Are you selling off odds and ends or trying to set up a 'small business'? Big difference!

 

[Robotstar5]

Are you selling off odds and ends or trying to set up a 'small business'? Big difference!

Plan is to sell "odds & ends" to raise funds, will probably start with surplus radio gear.
Never heard of offsite hosting so that is something to look into as I did not realise pics cost money on ebay!

Thanks for responses folks.

 

[chunkolini]

A good tip is to make sure you have the item in the right category, search for similar stuff first and see where it is being sold if you are not sure, and have a look at their titles. A good buying tip is to search for items that are badly listed.
if what you are selling is obscure and has an enthusiastic buyer goup you can do very well. eg I have sold secondhand pushbike parts for more than they are brand new.

Good luck, Chunko'.

 

[Pete.]

Who is your ISP robo?

 

[Unclefista]

<snip>
I did not realise pics cost money on ebay!

Everything costs on eBay, I count on eBay/paypal fees costing me around 20% of the final auction price of anything I sell

 

[will123thomas]

Everything costs on eBay, I count on eBay/paypal fees costing me around 20% of the final auction price of anything I sell

thats not quite true, ive just sold some of the components out an old laptop and desktop computer and ALL of the listing were free, but i was limited to 1 pic, 99p list start but i wasnt bothered about that

 

[Unclefista]

thats not quite true, ive just sold some of the components out an old laptop and desktop computer and ALL of the listing were free, but i was limited to 1 pic, 99p list start but i wasnt bothered about that

It is "quite true".

What isn't true is that your listings were free, unless none of your items sold that is. Your item not selling is the only way to avoid eBay's "final value fee" which is a percentage of the final selling price. This percentage went up earlier in the year, when they decided to allow "free" listing for items starting under £1.

There's also the fact that you must offer "free postage" in some catagories, the cash for the packaging and postage has to come from your own pocket.

Lastly, Paypal take their cut too.

Over the last 12 months it's averaged around 20% of the final auction price, at least for me.

Tony (2401 eBay feedback)

 

[MarkMG]

I'd try other routes first that are free
Local paper, often free for items under £100
Trade-it on line
Gumtree

 

[Welderpaul]

That said, it's nice to watch the bids come in, and especially in the dying minutes, people trying to snipe your item....Better than sex.

 

[Hitch]

I used to use ebay a fair amount. Last year or so, only a handfull of times.
Selling stuff is quite expensive in most cases. Listing fee, final value fee, PP fee...
Then if it only goes for a couple of quid, you've spent half of it on fees, then you need to post it....
Sometimes i put a few bits to one side to go on ebay, then end up throwing them out beceause i cant be bothered with the hassle for £1

 

[Drains]

That said, it's nice to watch the bids come in, and especially in the dying minutes, people trying to snipe your item....Better than sex.

You over 40 now Paul?
No excuse for comments like that otherwise.


I'm telling Mrs WP on you.

 

[Wozzaaah]

it's nice to watch the bids come in, and especially in the dying minutes, people trying to snipe your item

It's also nice to watch an item you're bidding on knowing that your auto sniper program will slip a bid in one second before the auction ends...not that I've ever used such a thing of course